re: MECaW CODE of CONDUCT!

MECaW CODE OF CONDUCT

(A Work in Progress, this will be updated and modified at need.)

AMBASSADOR:

You are an ambassador wherever you go. Always.

This means that you are required to behave in a courteous, polite, considerate manner at all times. You are an ambassador not only of yourself, but of any group or groups you belong to. How you behave reflects not only on you, but also on those groups.

EULA/TOS:

When you joined LotRO, you (or your representative) signed the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) and Terms of Service (TOS). If you did not read them, or you do not recall what is in them, please take time to go back and read them. You, the Player, are responsible for knowing what has been agreed to in the EULA/TOS, and abide by them, regardless of who signed them. We (i.e., this kinship) are in compliance with the EULAs and TOS.

LotRO Forums/Community also have a contract. If you decide to post in the LotRO Forums, you must follow their rules.* Find the Community Guidelines link below:

*Please note that these same guidelines are embedded in the Terms of Service (TOS) above. Also please note that strong language by any name is forbidden, that the GMs do look for it, usage may cause your account(s) to be permanently banned, and that Turbine has the final say in any transgression of code. *

GRIEFING:

Griefing is forbidden. Period.

If you are found to be a griefer, these are the actions which will be taken:

(1) You will be banned from the kinship;

(2) You will be reported to Turbine;

(3) You will be reported to the other kin leaders as a griefer.

There is NO PLACE in this game for griefers. If that is what you like to do, then this is not the game for you.

GRIEFING NOTE:

It is not unknown for a GM to show up ingame and witness the griefer(s) in action.

NAMES

(1) Names must be lore-appropriate.

(2) Names MAY NOT be lore specific, nor may they be modifications of lore-specific names. No scrambling letters, or adding/subtracting a letter to a lore-specific name. (Examples: Glandaf, Gandalff, Aragroan.)

(3) Names MAY NOT be of famous people. (Examples: Benjamin Franklin, Tom Cruise)

(4) Names MAY NOT be of fictional characters of any medium, whether written, visual, oral/aural or any other form not mentioned. (Examples: Pibgorn, Rhett Butler, Lorna Doone)

(5) Names MAY NOT be of brand names, generic names, or any reference to such items, no matter how spelled. (Examples: Bussche, Asprinnd, Leggoes)

(6) Names MAY NOT be offensive to others. (Examples: Ipukeoften, Grossbear.)

COMMUNICATION:

There are several ways to communicate within the kinship. All communication must be as defined by the TOS (see above).

(1) Through the kinsite;

(2) Through one of several kinchannels.

(3) Through in-game mail.

(4) Through text-based kinchat in-game.

CRAFTING:

Helping kinmembers is encouraged. Being taken advantage of is discouraged. It is quite obvious when one needs assistance and when one is taking advantage of others. If it is felt that one is abusing the system, then the one so abused has the right to stop it. This means that neither the one asking for assistance nor the crafter may take advantage of the other. It also means that continued abuse may be grounds for dismissal from the kinship.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Recruits arenot eligible for gear from the kinship, although they may donate supplies and make gear themselves.

That being said, if a kin member needs crafting assistance, we are happy to assist however we can. This will be determined by the time, ability, and skill of the crafter. The requester may, or may not, be asked to supply materials, in whole, or in part, or may be requested to reimburse the crafter for some material(s)/ingredient(s) that had to be purchased.

Whether in or out of the kinship, it is courteous to ask how one may assist the crafter, in either funds or supplies, or both. Please remember that you, the requester, are also a crafter, so act accordingly.

GOUGING is NOT allowed, and is considered an abuse of the system. Prices of materials/ingredients are easily seen by checking the Auction House and various vendors, as well as the item icon (tooltip) itself.

NOTE: the Auction House price rarely, if ever, matches the tooltip price, or the vendor price.

REMEMBER: High level components are often very rare and quite difficult to acquire, so you will never be able to find any of these components for sale at the item's vendor price or the tooltip price. They will always be priced at what appears to be an extremely unreasonably high price.

If the requester cannot afford to supply the materials needed, nor reimburse the crafter for expenses, then the requester and crafter must come to some agreement. This may include the crafter's refusal to make an item; however, there must be good reason for the refusal, such as: the unavailability; the unaffordability; or the inaccessibility of a needed material/ingredient.

SOCIAL:

All members are strongly encouraged to learn how to play all instruments (currently there are 10), and to dance (again, currently there are 10). These are social graces, and whether a casual or roleplaying member, all will find these skills most useful.

ROLEPLAYING:

If you are a roleplayer, you are required to be courteous in your roleplay at all times. There have been some needlessly offensive attempts, which were reported to the respective kinleader(s), much to the distress of the offender(s). Please do not be one such offender. Remember to treat others with the same courtesy that you would like others to show toward you.

If you are not a roleplayer; that is, if you are a casual player, please respect and be courteous to those who are. You are not required to participate in /RP, nor even to understand it. You do need to be accepting of those who do, just as those of you who are roleplayers need to be accepting of those who do not roleplay (i.e., those who are casual players).

RAIDS/INSTANCES/SKIRMISHES/BIG BATTLES:

When planning to join a raid/instance/skirmish/Big Battle, check with the Raid Leader in advance, if possible, about his/her requirements, so that you may come prepared. Whatever the Raid Leader requires of you, that you must do. Remember: Every raid, and every Raid Leader will be different, so be flexible.

When in raid/instance/skirmish/Big Battle, you are required come prepared with: your virtues as high as possible for your current level; your class deeds completed as far as possible; knowing your class abilities/limitations; retraited for that run, if necessary; be able to re-trait quickly, if needed; have all consumables, and use them; and, above all, Respect your Leader and obey his/her requests.

It is also expected of you that you will not be loot-greedy. If you have something that you do not need, but another raid member does, then give it to him/her. At some point, someone will return the favor. It may not occur this time, but it will happen.

REMEMBER: Good will is irreplaceable.

Not everyone enjoys/desires to raid. Please be respectful of each others choices. Just as you (the raider) should honor those who choose to not be raiders, so you (the non-raider) should honor those who do choose to be raiders.

TESTING PARTICIPATION:

If you wish to participate in either Alpha or Beta testing, be sure that you follow the rules of participation exactly to the letter. One must often sign a contract in order to participate.

The Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a binding contract, so do not break it. If you sign one, until the NDA is lifted, you cannot even tell anyone outside of the testing group that you are participating in testing. When the NDA is lifted, then, and only then, may you speak. Violation of it can result in your account being banned.

NOTE: Some NDAs are NEVER lifted, so read the contract carefully before signing.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO VIOLATIONS OF THE NDA PERMITTED IN THIS KINSHIP.